Silver Branches, Simple Joys

Back in the early 1960s, when we’d visit my grandparents at Christmastime, the magic of the holiday seemed to fit perfectly inside their tiny two-bedroom house. The living room was small—just enough space for a sofa, a lamp, and their Christmas tree—but to us children, it felt like stepping into a wonderland.

Their tree wasn’t the kind you’d find fresh from the forest. It was an aluminum tree, shiny and silver, with branches that sparkled like tinsel under the dim light of the room. At its base sat a color wheel—one of those fascinating contraptions that slowly turned, casting shades of red, blue, green, and yellow across the tree’s shimmering limbs. My brother, sister, and I would sit cross-legged on the floor, completely mesmerized by the changing colors. We’d whisper to each other which hue was our favorite, as if our words might interrupt the enchantment of the moment.

I know there were ornaments on that tree, but for the life of me, I can’t recall a single one. The silver glow of the branches and the soft swirl of the color wheel were all that captured my attention. There were no stockings hanging on the wall, no piles of gifts tucked beneath the tree. I can’t even remember opening a single present there. Maybe there weren’t any. My grandparents didn’t have much, but somehow, it didn’t feel like anything was missing.

What I do remember is the warmth—the kind that came from love, not from money or presents. I remember the faint hum of the color wheel’s motor, the smell of something sweet coming from the kitchen, and the simple joy of being together. There was always a candy cane or two, those old-fashioned ones that seemed sweeter back then. Maybe that was the only gift, but it was enough.

If I close my eyes, I can still see that aluminum tree shimmering in its rainbow glow, and I’m reminded that Christmas has never really been about the things we receive, but about the light that shines from the love we share.

Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the simple joys that fill our hearts this Christmas and every day. Thank You for memories of love that outshine even the brightest decorations. Help us remember that the greatest gifts are not wrapped in paper or placed under trees, but are found in the warmth of family, the laughter of children, and the peace that comes from Your presence. May we carry that light with us, just as the color wheel once bathed that little aluminum tree in beauty. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Childhood Memories

It's funny the things you remember on a warm afternoon. Today I was thinking about my childhood and all the wonderful things my parents did to make it special. Money was tight as we were growing up so little extras always meant a lot. 

I remember one year when I was six or seven. Easter was coming and everywhere we went we'd see these tiny little chicks for sale. They had been dyed bright, beautiful colors - pinks, blues, greens, purples, and oranges. My sister, brother, and I thought they were the cutest things ever and begged for one of those little chicks. We promised the promises all little children make when they desperately want an animal - the promises to feed, clean up after, and care for the tiny creature. We whined and begged pulling on Mama's dress hem. The answer back then was always, "We'll see." We learned quickly that hint of hope usually meant "I'm sorry, we just can't afford it right now." But this one year, was different. Mama must have discussed our financial situation with Daddy and they'd found a way to grant our heart's desire. 

The following week, while out shopping with Mama, we passed a store with a huge crate full of colored chickies. Mama, instead of shuffling us away from the crate, walked with us toward it. Our eyes were big as saucers as we realized our desire to own our own chick was about to be fulfilled. Reaching down to touch the soft, downy fur of the baby chickens, Mama looked up at us and asked each of us which color we'd like. I don't remember who chose which color bird, but I do remember how surprised we were to understand that each of us would get to take home our own little chick! 

After we'd made our selections, Mama paid for our chicks and we headed home. We had each been given a tiny little box with round little air holes poked in it so our chick could be kept safe for travel but also be able to breathe. All the way home, we giggled and laughed at the little peep, peep, peeps calling out from the boxes. When Daddy got home from work, we couldn't wait to show him our prizes. I think he got as much or more enjoyment out of the baby chickens than we did. 

We took care of our little birds as best as we could but they eventually died. Perhaps it was because we didn't have chicken feed, or perhaps they had been affected by the dye, we really didn't know. It was a sad lesson for us as children. But there was another lesson we learned from the chicken story and it's one I didn't learn until much later in life. The lesson I learned, as I thought back on this many years ago, was that my parents wanted to give us good things. They wanted to bless us and shower us with gifts. Although finances prohibited them from doing all the things they wanted to do, they did what they could. 

What a great reminder of our Heavenly Father's love. If our parents knew how to give us good gifts and made sure to provide all they thought could make us happy, how much more would our Heavenly Father do for us?  The Bible says, "So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him." Matthew 7:11

We may have never gotten those little chicks if we hadn't kept on asking and begging for them, but since we did, our parents heard and answered. The same truth goes for us when we bring our petitions before God. We need to keep on asking because He wants to give us good gifts! He wants to bless us. 

The tiny little feet of the baby chick still tickle the palm of my hand. I can still feel the downy softness of the feathers against my check. And every year, as Easter comes, I can't help but think about the sacrifice my parents made to buy us those chicks. Oh, they probably only cost a dollar or so each, but that was a lot of money back then and could have been used to buy something much more important but love makes sacrifices. Their love was great but God's love was even greater. Their sacrifice was heartfelt but the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross was incomprehensible. 

What do baby chicks have to do with Easter? Nothing really. They might symbolize new life but other than that, they're just plain cute. When they grow up, the cuteness leaves and the chickens end up as dinner on our plates. 

This year, when you think about Easter, perhaps you'll remember my story of love and sacrifice but instead, I hope you'll think about so much more...think about Jesus. Think about His love and His sacrifice.

In the meadow we can build a snowman...or not!

 

On Friday we got the most beautiful snow! I'd been waiting for it and when it arrived, I was thrilled. I love seeing those fluffy, white flakes fall from the sky. I was thankful the weather predictions were on target, they usually aren't when it comes to winter weather here, but this time, they did good! 

We were ready. We'd purchased a dump truck load of split red and white oak the day before in anticipation of the cold weather. My husband I worked hard to get all the wood stacked and covered. We couldn't wait to build our first fire of the season in our new house! Having a blazing fire on a winter's day was so comforting and we'd enjoyed many over the past years at our other homes. 

We'd also pulled out the antique glass lanterns, purchased new lamp oil and wicks. Power outages are common in this area when there's snow or ice and we didn't want to be off guard. 

We had a charcoal grill, charcoal and lighter fluid at the ready, too. If the power failed we'd need to salvage as much food as we could from our fridge and freezer. We'd learned from past experience how devastating it could be to lose a freezer full of food. Thankfully the last time that happened we'd saved our receipt and were able to be reimbursed by our insurance company minus our deductible, of course. 

We went to bed knowing we'd done the best we could do and were surprised to find 5 inches of snow! We hadn't expected that much! 

The white blanket looked so lovely in the moonlight as we stood on the front porch enjoying the view. It was so quiet and still. We looked for wildlife, but didn't see any. Normally, we have a herd of deer that come through. They're so gentle as they softly pad across the yard. But nothing was out, not even the neighborhood feral cat, Tommy. We were worried about him and hadn't seen him in days although we had prepared a warm place for him to rest and had been providing food for him for months. All we could do was pray for his safety.

Today, we're listening to constant dripping as our beautiful snow is melting! I'd built a tiny snowman on the front porch on Saturday because I wanted to feel like a kid again but it was too cold. Instead of doing a  proper one in the yard, I opted to make one atop a small table on the porch. I only worked on it for about 10 minutes and my fingers were frozen! 

I don't know how I managed, as a kid, to stay out in the snow for hours and hours, running and playing...having snowball fights, sledding, building snowmen or making snow angels. I must have had thicker skin then but I know I didn't have the warm down coat like I do now or the sturdy warm boots and gloves.

Back then, we slipped our sock feet into plastic bread wrappers and then into our rain boots to help keep our feet dry. I remember coming back in with no feeling whatsoever in my feet and having to sit for hours barefoot in front of our radiant gas heater until they thawed out again. Those were the days! 

They're predicting another round of wintry weather for this coming weekend. I don't know if I want to go through more of it but as long as it's not ice, I'll be happy. Ice on power lines and trees typically causes outages here. We really need to get a generator. It's on my "to do" list but it hasn't been done yet. They're so expensive.